My Version of Last Sacrifice
by K. BelikovSalvatore
Summary: This is my take of Last Sacrifice. It's about Rose's struggle to sort out her hectic life. Dimitri has left her and she has to find Lissa's mysterious half sibling. On top of that, she has to prove her innocence. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi again**

**This is the first actual chapter (obviously) I hope you like it and please review, much appreciated.**

**Katey xx**

Lying on my crappy, thin jail cell bed. I wondered how I was going to die. My theory was that my 'executioners' would tie me down and stake me through my shattered, pain filled heart.

Shattered? You ask. My ex-mentor, former Strigoi and owner of my heart has abandoned me and told me that his love for me has faded. As much as I don't want to believe it, I suppose I have to…

I sighed, Dimitri Belikov, why did you do this to me?

I just realised, my situation sort of reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, with the tragic death of the two lovers and all.

_Dimitri, Dimitri, wherefore art thou Dimitri. _If only I knew.

I chuckled to myself and turned over to face the bars of my cell. I could see two of the many guardians assigned to my cell outside, one sitting at the door and one standing, facing me. I smiled at him, just for something to do. He blinked. Oh, how nice of you.

I closed my eyes and tried to gather my thoughts, as that was really the only thing I could do to keep me from going insane. I decided to arrange the stuff in my life into good or bad categories to pass the time.

I'm going to die tomorrow-bad. (Duh!)

Dimitri doesn't love me- bad.

This leaky-roofed dreary cell used to be Dimitri's- good.

Dimitri doesn't love me-bad.

Lissa, Adrian and all the others are trying to prove my innocence-good.

Dimitri doesn't love me-bad.

As per usual, the bad outweighs the good. I sighed again, trying to get Dimitri off the brain.

"Hathaway, dinner," a gruff voiced called, snapping me out of my musings.

"Hmm?"

"Dinner, come and get it," a big, burly guardian stated slowly, like he was talking to a child.

I rose stiffly from the narrow cot, staggering my first few steps towards the tray on the floor.

I picked it up and inspected it carefully. Great, a piece of bread, probably stale, a chunk of hard cheese and a few thin slices of what looked like ham. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, come on Rose, you can do this, I thought. I took a bit of the mystery meat and cringed, it was ham, salty, over-processed ham. I reluctantly swallowed it. I was so hungry, but this food was horrible. I shrugged, I was gonna die anyway. I wolfed down the rest of the gross prison food and gulped down the small bottle of warm water put there for me as well. Just to annoy the guards. I dropped the tray on the ground, it landed with a clatter and the guard against the wall jerked up his head, scowling when he saw me smirk.

I sat down on my cot, sighing once again. I lay down and turned on my side, facing the bleak wall of my small cell. I let my mind drift away and my eyes soon drifted shut and I fell asleep.

I saw a man, a tall man, walking through the tree lined path of my old school, St. Vladimir's academy. I increased my pace, trying to catch him. He had shoulder-length brown hair, tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck, and he was wearing a long brown coat-a duster, I thought it was called. I tried to remember his name, but I couldn't, like there was a block in my brain that I couldn't shift.

"Hey!" I called out.

He turned around.

"Dimitri!" I called out, finally remembering his name. But everything else flooded back, the love, the pain and the confusion involved with just this one man. I loved him, I still do. He abandoned me, left me to myself. Why should I care? I asked myself. I had to.

"Dimitri! Wait! Please!" I cried, desperate now. I reached out towards him.

He was so close now, I could hear him sigh as he stopped and turned to face me.

"What, Rose?" That voice, oh god, that voice, that accent. I missed it so much, saying my name, that he loves me, forever.

I jogged towards him, near enough to touch him.

"What's wrong?" I asked, taking in his sad expression. "Why do you look so sad? You came back to me, I love you."

I yearned to reach out and touch his face, run my fingers through that silky hair.

"I know," he smiled a sad smile.

I put my hand to his cheek and pulled him towards me. He didn't really react to my touch. As I raised my lips to his, he whispered, "Roza, you know my love has faded, I can't forgive myself for my past."

"No. It's okay Dimitri, really," I replied, saddened by his words. I pushed the stray strand of silky hair back from his face.

I pulled his face down and our lips met, erasing all of my worries, all of his protests were silenced as we kissed. Finally, I was in his arms, we were together aga-

"Hathaway!" A voice woke me from my dream. God, did that suck.

I groaned, putting my hands over my eyes.

"Rose!" the guardian called again, getting frustrated.

I shifted to a sitting position to face the guard.

"You have a visitor, now," he said.

"Oh, uh, okay, send them in then," I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

My visitor strode up to my cell and grabbed the bars. I sighed deeply and shook my head as I saw who it was.

"Why so great a sigh, little dhampir?"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey ppl!**

**Kinda obvious whos visiting Rose! **

**Just the usual,enjoy and please review! btw, i don't own vampire academy bla bla bla**

"Adrian?" I said.

"Yeah, who else?" he said, "Rose, how are you? I've missed you, Lissa misses you, hell, even Christian does!"

In a few strides, I crossed my small cell and reached through the bars to Adrian Ivashkov, my drinking, chain-smoking, spirit-using, uh, boyfriend. He was the great-nephew of the late Queen Tatiana Ivashkov. I hugged him as best as I could, and inhaled the scent of his familiar aftershave. I pulled away slightly and looked up at his face, drinking in his high cheekbones, deep emerald eyes and stylishly messy hair. I looked deeper. I could see that that his hair was unintentionally messy, messier than usual. His eyes were deeply shadowed, they looked worried and weary. He obviously hadn't shaved in a while, maybe he was up all night, worrying about me.

I ran my fingers over the stubble, frowning. "You're a mess Ivashkov."

"I know, so are you little dhampir, maybe the guards will let us go shower together, seeing as your all dirty and all," he smirked. I rolled my eyes, typical Adrian.

"Rose, seriously, how are you holding up since the trial?" he asked, all trace of light-heartedness gone from his face.

I sighed, looking at my feet, "Not so good, I'm afraid."

He pulled away, biting his lip, fighting back tears. Adrian kicked the bars in anger.

"Why, Rose, why? We just got to really know each other! Those idiots have just dumped the blame on you, the only girl I ever loved! The Moroi world will lose such a good guardian, such a good person! How can they do that?" he was yelling now.

I flinched back, surprised by his vehemence. The guardians surrounding my cell watched him carefully, waiting to restrain him if necessary. Adrian approached me again, I was still pressed up against the bars. He kissed, my lips once, twice. Then he put his hands on either side of my face, staring into my eyes. We were silent for a while.

"I will not lose you Rosemarie Hathaway. Do you understand? I will not let anyone stand in my way. I will not lose you," he assured me. I nodded meekly.

Adrian put his arms through my cell bars and wrapped them around me. I returned the hug.

He put his mouth to my ear and whispered, "We will be here tonight, me, Lissa and Mia."

"What, when?" I questioned him.

"Midnight, we're getting you out. Christian and Eddie will be waiting with a car at the gates. Your dad'll join us later," Adrian whispered, his warm breath tickling my ear.

"What? You could get into so much trouble, Lissa could get into so much trouble. I can't let that happen. She's my best friend Adrian," I hissed.

"Rose, I would do anything for you, so would Lissa. We are getting you out little dhampir, and that's that," he replied, still whispering.

Adrian removed his arms from me and turned, walking away and not looking back.

My head was spinning, they were going to rescue me. Tonight, at midnight. I sat back down on my crappy bed, thinking of all the possible things to happen tonight. What if we got caught? What would happen? I couldn't let Lissa and the others get themselves into that much trouble. It would put me in deeper shit, but what's deeper than the death penalty? I thought. I supposed I should do something I hadn't done in a while, slip into Lissa's mind, It was my only entertainment in this hell-hole, well, apart from pissing off the guards. I focused hard on our bond and her emotions, right now they were excitement and a little bit of worry. Before I knew it, I was seeing the world through her eyes.

She was in the kitchen of her small apartment that she had while at court. Adrian was back in her room, with a glass of scotch in his hand, sitting at the bench. (It's Adrian, what else?)

Lissa was pacing up and down the kitchen.

"So you told her about our plan right?" she asked him.

"Mmhm, of course cousin," he said, taking a sip from his glass. They weren't really cousins, it was just a loose term that royals used when talking to each other.

"Good, so, everything in place then?" she sounded like an evil mastermind, not my sweet, gentle best friend. It kind of scared me.

"Yep, Eddie's got the car organised, and Abe has a nice little place set up for Rose and I."

There was a knock at the door. Lissa started to walk to the front door. But Adrian slammed his scotch down on the bench and jumped up.

"No, I'll get it, don't worry," he said, hurrying to the door and opening it.

Standing at the door was Christian. Him and Lissa had a bit of a falling out and they only have just really got over it and are sort of together. Maybe Adrian didn't quite know yet. They were still tentative and not really as close as they used to be. Believe me, they used to be _very_ close. Adrian ran a hand through his artfully messy hair, probably feeling a bit awkward.

"Oh, uh, hi Christian," Lissa said.

The pyromaniac fire using dickhead Lissa called her boyfriend smiled and stepped through the door and past Adrian. He just sort of stopped and stood there. Lissa gave him an awkward hug. She could see over Christians shoulder that Adrian was smirking at them, obviously satisfied that they were back together and Christian would get off his case.

I decided that this was enough and I might have puked if had to endure anymore of the doe-eyed, head-over-heels in love looks that Lissa and Christian began exchanging. I pulled out of Lissa's head and back into my own harsh reality. I was sitting on my crappy cot/bed thing in this damp old cell. Feeling depressed, I decided to have some fun.

"What's the time?" I used my best whiny voice on the guard sitting by the door. He turned his head.

"It's about seven, uh, thirty. Seven-Thirty."

"Hmm, thank… so, what's your name?" I replied.

"Uh, I'm Colin, why do you want to know?" he said.

"Huh, just wondering, I just wanna know what's going on around me. Oh, but you guys change guards and stuff don't you?" I babbled on mindlessly for a few minutes until the guard at my door told me to shut up. I lay down again, feeling tired and sad. I tugged at the thin blanket, covering my body. It could get pretty cold in here. I was just dozing off when that damn guard woke me up again.

"Rose Hathaway, you have yet another visitor," he grumbled.

I rolled my eyes as I got up. I froze. It was Dimitri. Dimitri Belikov. Here. At my cell. Visiting me. He had on his guardians mask as he stood beside the guy at the wall. He obviously had been declared a dhampir, not Strigoi, and had free run of the court. Maybe he was even reinstated to guardian status again. He approached the bars of my cell, expression unchanging.

"Yes?" I asked, shaking my head to clear it, and trying to mask the pain and love that seeing him brought on.

"Hello Rose, I just came by to see how you are doing," he said in that goddamned sexy Russian accent.

"Hmm, well I'm gonna be executed tomorrow Dimitri, how'd you think I feel?" I said, putting as much Rose Hathaway sarcasm into those words as I could.

"Don't Roza, just don't," he said, shaking his head. Parts of my earlier dream about him flashed through my mind and I tried as hard as I could to ignore them. He held the bars of my cell, as Adrian had done before him. This time it was not for longing to see me , but just because he had to. That hurt me, he didn't really want me, just being courteous. He decided he didn't love me, but I just couldn't bear that. I loved Adrian, but that love was just a candle flame compared to the burning Sun with how I felt, or used to feel about the tall, gorgeous man standing in front of me. I had to do something, I know I tried, but that day in the church really shattered my heart. So I decided to give it one last shot.

I ran up to him, right into his face and cried, "I'm about to die Dimitri Belikov! Now cut the crap, I know somewhere deep down your love me! No matter what you say, you will always love me, I know this. Can't you tell the truth to me, before I leave this world? Admit it! Go on!"

He shook his head, "Roza, you know my love has faded, I can't forgive myself for my past." I winced and covered my face with my hands. Just like in my dream. Except, I was in his arms, and he was kissing me…

I looked up again, in his eyes I could see a deep sadness and longing. I knew it! He did love me.

"Dimitri! I don't fucking get it! I love you, you love me? Why does it have to be so freaking complicated?" I yelled. The guardians around Dimitri looked at me like I had horns on my head. I glared back at them , most of them turned away.

"Rose…" Dimitri shook his head, trying to control his temper, "Why must you keep pushing me to the limit?"

"Why won't you answer my question?" I exclaimed. Losing my temper wasn't a good thing, I could feel a hint of Spirit's darkness seeping in. I wrapped my hands around the bars, just below Dimitri's hands, and pressed myself against him. He didn't move away, but I could feel his lean, muscled and graceful body tense up.

He sighed, "Okay Rose, I will tell you, I love you, but I can't be with you. I've done too much to hurt you, I used you, I was sick and evil. I nearly killed you, and I killed so many innocent people. My heart longs for you but I just can't bring myself to be with you. So I say that I don't love you, it's partly true."

That was good enough for me, so I pressed my mouth to his, kissing him desperately. I could feel him start to respond and he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I knew it was going to happen, but oh well, I tried. Once he really realised what was happening, Dimitri seized up, he pushed me away and took a few quick steps backwards. Dimitri shook his head, swearing in Russian, I could hear my name amongst the foreign speech.

He leaned towards me and whispered: "I can't let them take you from this world Rose Hathaway. I will do everything I can, as a friend and ex-teacher to help you. It looks bleak, but you can't give up…" he hesitated, I guessed what he'd say next was pretty big. "I'll find a way to get you out, so we can all sort this out and everything will be right again, okay?"

"Not everything will be right, one thing will be missing," I muttered, looking at the ground.

"Rose, no. I told you! Don't you get it? I'll see you around", he growled and stormed off, leaving me squashed up against the bars and reaching out for him.

Little did he know, the work was going to be done for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi**

**This chapter gets more interesting! Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Kateyxx**

What was the point of that? I asked myself, all we really did was argue. But we did kiss, I answered myself. No! I can't think like that, he said we can't be together. I love Adrian now, he loves me back at least. I continued arguing with myself, still pressed against the bars, clutching them with a sense of dread surrounding me.

Sleep didn't come easily that night. Thoughts were churning around in my head so fast. _Will Adrian and the others make it? What did Dimitri mean exactly, was he going to try and break me out as well?_ I tried to go settle my thoughts, but to no avail. There was just too much going on. They had changed the guardians outside my cell, so my little friend Colin wasn't available to talk to right now. I sighed, it seemed to be my favourite activity these days. I ran a hand through my tangled, dirty hair. I'd only had two showers in my ten day stay in 'paradise.' I had to wear a plain white t-shirt and weird orange pants. Not what I'd call fashionable.

I opened my mind to the psychic bond Lissa and I shared, I had the feeling she was nearby. _Hi Rose!_ The message came through loud and clear. I heard a scuffle outside my depressing, cramped room, then hushed voices. She was there! She was outside with Mia and Adrian! I was getting out!

"Yes!" I exclaimed, leaping up from my bed against the wall. I ran up to the bars of my cell, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening. Excitement swirled in the pit of my stomach as I saw two guardians slumped on the floor, presumably sleeping, due to the trio of Moroi using compulsion. I knew Liss would object to using violence on guardians. I saw Adrian working on a third. My non- Royal friend Mia was helping him.

"Come on now, you have to sleep," she was saying in a calm, level voice, essential for Moroi compulsion. The guardian closed his eyes, sliding down the wall. Adrian and Mia high-fived each other.

"Adrian! Mia! I'm here!" I yelled.

The two guardians that were left had sprung into action, trying to take out the two Moroi. _Where was Lissa? _

Lissa appeared around the corner, just a guard landed a punch in Adrian's stomach, he cried out. Mia had the other guard trapped in a sphere of water and she was trying to trap the other guard. It was taking its toll, she was tiring quickly.

"Rose!" Lissa cried as she ran towards me with the keys in her hand.

"Good god Lissa! Are you okay?" I asked frantically, spotting the blood slowly running from a cut above her eyebrow.

She fumbled with the keys and wiped blood from her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me Rose, we have to get you out."

I looked over to Mia, she had released the guards and was doubled over, panting heavily. Adrian had a hand on each guards shoulder, compelling them into a deep sleep. Lissa say me watching them. "They'll wake up in about half an hour. That's about how long we have. There is hardly anyone around, so we should be able to get out easily, surprisingly," she assured me.

The door swung open easily when unlocked, and Lissa threw herself into my arms, knocking me back a few paces.

"Hey, ease up," I chuckled, patting her back.

"We've all been so worried about you," she said, stepping back.

"Lots," Mia agreed, embracing me briefly. I found it hard to believe that not all that long ago, she'd been a doll-like bitch, hell-bent on ruining mine and Lissa's lives. Now, she was lightly tanned, as much as a Moroi could be, and her hair was pulled up into a smooth ponytail, not in ringlets, like they used to be. I looked over her shoulder and met Adrian's eyes. His face was a mixture of exhaustion and happiness. I moved away from Mia and towards him.

Wordlessly, he pulled me into a tight embrace. We stayed like that for a bit, as long as time permitted us.

"I told you Rose, we came for you," he muttered.

I held him at arm's length. "Thank you so much Adrian, I owe you so much," I was surprised by the tears running down my face.

"Rose, hurry, we have to leave. Now," Lissa said, she was already at the door of the bare white corridor, holding her sleeve to her bleeding forehead. I nodded and followed her through more twisting corridors leading to a big set of double doors.

"These lead out to a little reception sort of place, like a prisoner check-in desk" Adrian explained. "We compelled the guy at the desk so he's out for the count. Move through quietly and then to the other door, the one that goes out to the courtyard. Hopefully there is no one out there, if there is, Rose and Mia can take 'em out. Okay?"

I nodded. "But first, Adrian, could you heal Liss? That cut looks nasty."

"Sure." He got to work, removing Lissa's hand from her head. He replaced it with his own and closed his eyes. Through the bond, I could feel the sensation of hot and cold, hot and cold that was associated with spirit healing.

"Right, let's go," Mia stated, advancing towards the door.

I nodded and pushed open one of the door slowly. I stuck my head out, no one there. Good. I crept through the plain room, past the snoring guard and to the main door, with Lissa, Mia and Adrian behind me. Mia turned the handle of the main door and opened it. Cold air blew in, it must be windy outside.

I took a cautious step outside and felt the cool night air brush against my skin. Crap, there was someone out there! A guardian, even worse.

"Hey!" he spotted us as I quickly repositioned myself behind Adrian. The man jogged towards us. "What are you doing out here so late on a Tuesday night?"

"Um, just out for a walk," Lissa answered, I could hear the compulsion in her voice.

"What? Is that the Rose Hathaway girl with you, the one who killed the queen?" he asked, outraged.

I stepped out from behind Adrian brazenly, "Yep, sure is," I said before launching myself a him and landing a blow in his stomach. It hit with a solid thud and he doubled over, crying out.

I kicked him in the face, sending him flying, sprawled on the concrete.

He howled in pain as I guiltily knelt down and knocked him in the temple, knocking him out cold. I stood up slowly, feeling bad for hurting a fellow guardian.

"Good job little dhampir, now let's move," Adrian called, jogging off into the distance. We all followed towards one of the side gates leaving the Moroi Royal Court. Even though I had on crappy old prison shoes, I could still easily keep up with my untrained Moroi friends.

After about a five minute jog, Lissa fell behind, gasping.

"Come on Lissa," I called, pulling her by the hand. I looked past her, seeing something I thought I would never see. I saw a tall figure slinking his way across the courtyard towards the prison office. I knew instantly who it was.

"Dimitri!" I called out. His head snapped around, even though it was light, due to the Moroi nocturnal schedule, across the courtyard I could only just make out his eyes widening as he took in the sight of our little group.

"Shh! We have to go!" Adrian grabbed my arm, pulling me away.

"Dimitri!" I called again, resisting Adrian's grasp. My stomach dropped as I saw three guardians silently running towards him, two of them had guns, one was carrying a silver stake. What the hell?

"Run! Dimitri, run!" I screamed as Lissa, Mia and Adrian dragged me away, towards Eddie and Christian waiting in the black SUV with tinted windows.

Across the courtyard, Dimitri just stood there, frozen, while the guardian with the stake and one gun wielding guy advanced on him. The other guy with a gun was running towards us, firing shots.

I dived into the back seat of the hummer after Mia, Lissa and Adrian. It was a tight squeeze, but we could fit. As Eddie stomped down on the pedal and the car shot forward, I pressed myself up to the window, crying out, watching him being dragged away into the prison building, yelling and screaming, by three heavily armed, burly, guardians.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys**

**Hope you like this chapter… I don't own vampire academy although I would kinda like own Dimitri! :P**

**Kateyxx**

"Rose, Rose! There's nothing you can do!" Adrian pulled me away from the tinted window of the car.

"No, they can't take him! What has he done?" I cried.

Lissa was studying me intently, she stuck a hand in the pocket of her blue sweater as Adrian tried to fasten our seatbelts. Lissa pulled a small silver ring out of her pocket and pressed it into the palm of my hand.

"It's charmed, put it on Rose, it'll help," she explained. I nodded as I slipped the ring on, still upset and trying to figure out what exactly had happened to Dimitri. I felt a sort of calm settle over me, the darkness associated with being shadow kissed that I felt before was slowly ebbing away as Lissa's magic worked its, well, worked its magic.

"Okay Adrian, where exactly are we going?" Eddie asked from the driver's seat.

"Uh, keep following the highway, I'll you where to go when the time comes," Adrian replied, putting an arm around my shoulders, he added: "You okay little dhampir?"

"Sort of, do you know what's happened to Dimitri?" I asked, not really caring about anything else.

"They probably are like, questioning him or something, I don't know," Christian guessed.

"Yeah, I mean, he was sneaking around near the prison block," Mia chimed in.

"Shit, if those guardians saw us, you know the ones that grabbed Belikov, do you reckon they'd tell anyone else?" Adrian said, sounding worried.

"Well, they're going to find out anyway," Mia shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, but if they saw who was with Rose, we can't really go back to court or anything," Lissa spoke up, also sounding worried.

"Maybe just Lissa and I could go back and see what happens, but we should have a little escape plan ready, you know, just in case," Christian suggested.

"That's stupid," I snapped. "If they know what you guys did, you could get arrested immediately!"

"Hey, what about me, no one really knows who I am, maybe Christian and I could go back, just to see what's happening. Maybe if the coast is clear, Lissa and maybe Adrian could go back," Mia proposed.

"I'm staying with Rose, no matter what," Adrian insisted, squeezing my hand.

"It sort of makes sense," Eddie agreed as he drove. "Mia and maybe Christian could scout around, see if anyone knows who was involved with Rose's escape. If they don't really think Lissa and stuff have any involvement, then she could go back and Adrian and I could keep her posted."

"And if they think you all are involved?" I inquired.

"Well, that's the part where we run for our lives," Mia finished, smiling. Her little joke earned a few vague smiles and we all fell silent, wrapped in our own thoughts and plans. Those three guardians probably saw who we were, but maybe couldn't really tell. Lissa was a bit easier to recognise than the rest, Mia and Christian were probably our best bet. I was just afraid that something might happen. Well, you only live once, I concluded, we may as well try. I also remembered the Queen's note, still in my pocket. I hadn't looked at it in ages. I recalled with a jolt all about Lissa's long lost half-sibling. It seemed years ago and worlds away when I had read the note and felt the shock that came with it. Then snippets of the moment when I was dragged out of the café, away from Dimitri, flashed through my mind's eye. The electricity that had crackled through the air during the fight. The way he had protected me, showing that he still cared for me, the fierceness in his voice sent flutters through my stomach. _No! You've chosen Adrian now! _But I couldn't stop thinking about Dimitri.

I sighed and leaned my head against Adrian's shoulder, tired and weary from my stint in prison and my daring breakout. Eddie and Christian starting planning the return to court and soon Lissa and Mia joined in. Adrian and I stayed silent, occasionally he would kiss the top of my head, or murmur a word or two of assurance. I soon fell asleep to the sound of idle chatter, I welcomed it, as it was a break from the stress of the waking world.

The change of direction woke me, I opened my eyes just as Eddie turned the SUV down an almost hidden road off the main highway. I eased myself off Adrian's shoulder. Gee, I thought, it's much more comfortable that a crappy prison cot.

"Hey Rose, how'd you sleep?" Lissa asked, peering across Adrian to have a look at me. I realise that I must have looked awful. My hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail, and it was greasy and just plain nasty. I had only changed clothes twice when I was locked up, so I must have smelled almost as bad as I looked. I could almost imagine my face from Lissa's point of view, huge bruise-like shadows under my eyes and all.

My voice couldn't really work at the moment, so I just shrugged. I gave it a while until I asked how long I was out for.

Adrian was the one who answered. "Well, about two hours, you were out of it, snoring your brains out and everything," he chuckled.

I rubbed my eyes, wishing it was longer. "How long left?" I asked, taking a glance at the tree lined dirt road we travelled along.

"According to your boyfriend back there, about fifteen minutes," Eddie answered.

I nodded, pressing my head against the cool window, wondering about Dimitri and what had happened.

"I'm sure he's okay Rose, he's probably just being questioned," Lissa muttered, as if she'd read my mind.

"Hmm."

Eddie kept driving down the uneven dirt road, and I kept my eyes on the path ahead. I could see no signs of anything ahead, no secluded shacks or cute forest cabins. Not even an animal of the sort in this forest.

I ran my fingers through my tangled ponytail, wishing it was clean.

"Hey Adrian, did you say Abe would be waiting for us?" Lissa asked, turning her attention towards us.

He nodded. "Yes he is, and don't worry Rose, this place we're staying at has full indulgences, shower, bath, fully stocked wardrobe. Personally picked out by me, oh and Mia and Lissa helped too, they had to choose your underwear. I was too attracted to the French lingerie," he grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Good, that's the first thing I'm gonna do, have a nice long soak in the tub have a huge meal, if that's possible of course."

Adrian smiled. "Yes Rose, there is also a great kitchen there too, considering you eat enough for three people."

I elbowed him in the ribs playfully as Eddie pulled into a stone driveway, revealing a beautiful little cottage, tucked away in the woods.

I gasped as the engine cut off. "Wow, this place is gorgeous!"

"Why thank you, this is just a little getaway my parents own. They never use it though," Adrian supplied.

I opened the door of the car and stiffly clambered out, slamming it behind me. I walked up to the stone porch and rubbed my hand along the smooth wooden balustrades. The front door opened and none other than Ibrahim Mazur, my father, strode out. He was dressed in the usual flashy suit and brightly coloured scarf, today it was purple silk with royal blue embroidery. He jumped down the stairs and wrapped me in a tight bear hug.

"Rose! You're here!" he exclaimed.

"Obviously," I replied disdainfully, stepping back from his bone crushing embrace and slipping my hand into Adrian's next to me. Zmey eyed our hands with one raised eyebrow, man, I wish I could do that.

Lissa and Christian had joined me by my side, Mia and Eddie slightly behind on Adrian's left.

Abe stepped forward, arms outstretched. "The whole gangs here! Come, I'll show you inside!"

He turned on his heel and marched up the stairs to hold the door open for me and the other five. The living room of the cottage was awesome. It had a stone floor and stone walls, with rugs and creepy animal skins everywhere. There was a huge l-shaped old fashioned black leather couch in front of a massive stone fireplace, and hanging over the fireplace, was undoubtedly the best TV ever. It was a huge plasma screen, the kind that has really good picture and sound. My hideaway was sounding better and better.

I heard gasps of excitement and awe as Zmey and Adrian showed us around. We went through the small l-shaped kitchen, with fully stocked cupboards and all. Then we went into the even smaller and even more luxurious dining room. We were then lead upstairs. There were three plush bedrooms, each with their own ensuite. Adrian and I, much to my father's reluctance, shared the master suite. Lissa and Christian had obviously gotten over their little fight and shared the other double room. Mia and Eddie agreed to share the room with the two single beds. When I asked my father where he was sleeping, he informed us that he was going back to court, and as he put it 'run around and looked shocked that a maniac killer was on the loose.'

After Abe had left and we had settled down, (and explored our awesome new wardrobes!) I had a long, long soak in the bath, washing all the grime and dirt of 10 days in Court Prison off me.

After my hour or so in the bath, I ran a brush through my tangle, wet hair. I rummaged through my new underwear drawer, ignoring the racier things (obviously Adrian's choice, I just had to roll my eyes at that) and settle for some nice, bright, happy colours. I pulled on some basic red silk pyjamas, not really caring how I looked at this point.

Everyone was waiting for me downstairs. Lissa and Mia were watching Adrian try to grow a dormant flower bud and Eddie and Christian were playing cards at the coffee table.

"Ah, Rose, I thought you'd be in there forever," Lissa laughed, getting up to hug me.

"Yeah, how are you feeling?" Mia asked me.

"Yeah, okay, still exhausted though. What's the time?"

Mia checked her watch. "Nearly midnight."

"Ooh! Lunch time!" I made my way over to the luxurious kitchen, opening the fridge.

I finally made my mind up on a four layered grilled cheese sandwich and a whole bottle of soft drink. Once, to everyone's amusement, I devoured my meal and cleaned up, I spotted a mini bar fridge under one of the benches. I frowned and asked what it was. Before waiting for an answer, I yanked open the door, only to find it full of blood bags, presumably from a hospital.

"Oh," I muttered, closing the door.

"We don't have feeders here Rose," Christian said by way of explanation, shrugging his shoulders.

Adrian wrinkled his nose. "Bleargh, fresh is best."

It was my turn to wrinkle my nose as I sat down next to him on the leather couch. He put his arms around me, pulling me closer.

"Aw, don't be jealous little dhampir," he joked, earning him his second elbow in the ribs today.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey everyone**

**New chapter, please review!**

**Enjoy,**

**Kateyxx**

I woke up the next morning, feeling a bit more refreshed. Adrian was still snoring beside me, so I slipped out of bed quietly and peeked out of the heavy curtains hanging of the window across from our bed. It was dark of course, but I sort of missed sunlight, even though I had just spent hours in the daylight during my escape. I missed the feeling of the sun soaking into my skin, and the wind blowing through my hair. I closed the curtains and started in surprise as a pair of warm, strong arms slid themselves around my waist.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" Adrian murmured, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Good, that bed is so much better than the one in my cell," I replied appreciatively, leaning back into him.

I turned in Adrian's arms to face him. "I… can't say how much it… I can't thank you guys enough - for what you did, I can't possibly repay you."

"It was my pleasure Rose, we needed you back anyway," he smiled.

Adrian leant forward and kissed me tenderly. I returned his affection, draping my arms around his neck and moving closer. His kisses moved down my chin, down my neck, he stayed gentle, and was careful to never let his fangs brush my skin. One of Adrian's hands slid down from the small of my back and to my butt. I didn't react as our kissing got more intense, deeper. I had to pull away before clothes started coming off, honestly, it wouldn't really surprise me with Adrian. He didn't push me or anything, he was just very eager when the opportunity came up.

I moved my head to the side, trying to catch my breath. Adrian still held me tightly so I rested my head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. We stayed silent and peaceful like that for a while, savouring the moment, until a knock at the door interrupted us.

"Hey Rose, it's me, Lissa, can I come in?" the voice asked.

"Mmhm, just a sec," I answered. I plonked myself on the bed, while Adrian sprawled out beside me. The door opened and Lissa walked in, fully dressed.

She saw the puzzled look I gave her. "It's nearly twelve, you guys slept for ages."

"Oh, really? We must have been tired," Adrian yawned.

"Hm, well we've all had breakfast and stuff. Christian and Mia are just trying to fine tune their trip back to court, so come down whenever you're ready," she told us, waving a hand in the direction of the stairs.

I nodded and she left us to get dressed and whatnot.

I got up and opened the door of my wardrobe. "What's the weather like out there?" I asked Adrian.

He shrugged. "Warmish."

I rolled my eyes. Great help. I scanned through the clothes, there was some really nice stuff in there, I saw a sparkly black halter neck top, a flowing knee length red cotton dress. I settled for the latter, while Adrian just wore the usual jeans and a t-shirt. He growled approvingly when he saw the red dress. I giggled and slapped his arm playfully. We made our way downstairs chatting happily.

I jumped down the last few steps, suddenly feeling happy. I slid onto the sleek couch beside Lissa, who was watching the news on TV. Christian was one her other side, watching intently. I decided to see what all the fuss was. It was the human news, the reporter was delivering a story on me. I was now dubbed a murderous prison escapee. Two associates were named. Adrian and Lissa. The other three weren't mentioned, just that I had three other people with me at the time of my escape. So it maybe was safe for Mia and Christian to go back, but I personally wouldn't risk it if I were them.

I didn't move when Adrian sat next to me, I just kept watching. The closest human towns to Court were warned about a 'dangerous and ruthless killer' and that they had to be extra careful. Someone had obviously had enough and the TV was switched off. I stayed like that, staring at the blank screen on the wall. So they really believed I had killed Queen. Well, that's not very nice, I thought. The area was on alert. Watch out for a killer, they had said. I got up off the couch, feeling kind of numb.

"Rose, Rose! What are you doing?" Lissa asked, suddenly by my side.

"What? How? I didn't-"

"I know, it's stupid, now come sit back down Rose," Lissa said, grabbing at my arm.

I snapped out of my reverie and shook my head, I just couldn't get over it, the Moroi are that stupid? I know there was a heap of evidence against me, but, I called her a sanctimonious bitch, that's totally not a motive for killing her. She didn't really like me and Adrian together, so what, I know it sounded harsh, but it was gonna end anyway.

"Yeah, whatever, they can shove it up their-"

My cursing was cut off by the sound of a car pulling in the driveway. I ran over to the window and looked out, half expecting it to be a team of guardians, ready to cart me off back to jail. But instead, it was a black Mercedes, with tinted windows, the norm for cars in our world.

Abe Mazur got out of the passenger's side (of course he wouldn't drive) and looked at me through the window, I forced a small smile. Christian was at the door, holding it open for my father. He thanked him and walked straight to the middle of our living room.

"So," he said. "What's been going on?"

"Well I'm now a dangerous criminal. I think that's quite offensive," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

He put an hand on my shoulder just as Christian said: "Well, I've known that since I met you, but I was just too nice to say anything, you know?"

I glared at him and he just laughed.

"Well, it was bound to get out sometime," Zmey said. His two guardians waited outside the front door, ever vigilant.

A peculiar thought just occurred to me, we probably didn't haven't wards around the area. I turned to Eddie, he was sort of in charge of security.

"Hey, Eddie, do we have wards here?" I asked.

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "We… don't have any."

I frowned and the others looked anxious. "That could be dangerous," I said tersely.

"I suppose I could rustle up some other Moroi to cast some," Abe suggested.

"That's too dangerous, they could tell someone!" Christian snapped.

"Hello, we have the queen of compulsion over here!" I said sarcastically, pointing in Lissa's direction.

"Hey, I can help too," Adrian interjected, looking left out.

"Oh, yeah…" Christian looked embarrassed.

"So, your saying I get people to cast wards and your little blonde friend over their convinces them to forget all about it?" Zmey asked, standing there in his flashy suit and red silk scarf.

"And me," Adrian piped up again, visibly annoyed at his exclusion.

I nodded. "Try and rope up a Moroi for each element and bring them here say, tomorrow and then once they're done, Liss can compel them to forgetting."

Abe nodded and everyone murmured in agreement. Once all that was settled, Abe and his guardians left and we all settled into a normal arrangement. Watching TV, playing cards, watching Adrian show off be trying to make plants grow or healing minor injuries. I suddenly remembered Dimitri and what had happened. There was a slight fog over my mind, it must have been Lissa's ring. It was probably supposed to keep me calm, and keep the ghosts away, since we weren't inside wards. Thinking about Dimitri made me un-calm. I replayed the previous day's events in my head, the look on his face when he saw us diving desperately into the car, the moment as we sped away into the distance, him watching us with surprise and utter disbelief, emotions I'd never really seen on his face. He was always so strong. My eyes were tearing up, what was wrong with me? _I _was always supposed to be strong too.

Eddie, who was sitting next to me, noticed my silence. "Rose, what's up?" he said quietly.

I shook my head. "No, don't worry."

Furrowing his eyebrows he replied. "Rose, when there is something that is making Rose Hathaway begin to cry, I think there is something to worry about."

I turned my head away, ending the conversation. He stared after me for several moments, before joining in with Adrian and Christian's conversation.

The rest of the day passed slowly, I moped around and kept to myself mostly, still silently distressing about Dimitri.

Christian and Mia went to bed early, wanting to get a good start on their journey back to court. Eddie offered to drive them but Christian adamantly refused, offending that anyone doubted his driving skills.

I retired early as well, Adrian promised that he was not far behind, he just had to… feed first. I ambled up the stairs, still under my vow of silence. I knew Adrian and the others would not be happy if I ran off to rescue Dimitri, but while lying tucked up in my massive bed, I hatched a plan.

I was asleep soon after, not waking when Adrian clambered in beside me. I dreamt a funny dream that night, I was reliving strangely significant moments in my life. The night Victor Dashkov cast a lust charm that on Dimitri and I, the horribly painful moment after Mason Ashford, my close friend had been killed, and I'd avenged him when Dimitri had come to comfort me in his arms. That fateful night in the cabin, just before the Strigoi had attacked. Then the moment when I found he'd been turned, that feeling of being torn apart. More moments like that flashed through my mind until they faded away, like when a tape runs out. It was instead replaced by a room, the very lounge room down stairs. Adrian was lounging on the leather couch, inspecting his nails. He looked up when I appeared. Great, one of his dreams again.

"Little dhampir, fancy seeing you here!" he smiled, patting a spot next to him on the couch. I sat on the other end of the couch hesitantly. I looked down at what I was wearing, I rolled my eyes, it was one of the lacy lingerie out fits he'd picked for me to wear here.

He saw my reaction and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as my skimpy underwear morphed into the red dress I had worn today. I smiled. "Much better."

"What's up? I woke up just a second ago and you aura was weird, like, all sad and lonely. Nothing bad, just you seemed really down, and really anxious. It's not Belikov is it?" he asked placing has hand over mine.

Looking down at my feet sheepishly, I nodded. Adrian understood. "I want to know what's happening, you know me, I like to have control and knowledge of what's going on around me."

That earned me a smile, I knew he would have understood.

Adrian spoke up softly. "Why Rose? He gave up on you, but you keep trying? Why?" he moved closer to me, but I couldn't move back, I was at the end of the suite.

"I don't know Adrian, I really don't. There's part of me that won't give up, no matter what happens," I answered, surprised I could tell him all of this.

He laughed humourlessly. "There's no winning with you Hathaway, is there?"

I didn't answer and peered out the window, it was sunny outside and the Sun's rays burst through the trees, it looked really cool. Adrian was right next beside me now, and he rested his hand on my thigh. "There's no point arguing about it now Rose, I know you'll always care for him, but I'll always try Rose, I'll always try."

I nodded weakly, I felt bad for using Adrian as a bit of a stand in. I was going to get Dimitri out, just like he'd tried to rescue me. Well, provided he was locked up in the first place, which I assumed he was. I suddenly recalled the note my dhampir friend, Ambrose had given me. How could I forget? It was tucked away safely, underneath the bedside table in my room. I owed it to Adrian to include him in _something _that I do.

"Hey Adrian, I need to show you something, something secret that you can't tell anybody," I said, leaning closer to him.

He looked interested at first, and then he raised his head and cocked an eyebrow. What I'd say was his attempt at being sexy. "Do tell, I'm sure it'll be… interesting."

Rolling my eyes, I continued. "Back at court, I was… given a note-one that I couldn't show anyone else, that was secret. But I think you might be able to help." Adrian probably knew people that new lots of other people and so on. Maybe he could help me find Lissa's mysterious sibling.

"How so?" he asked, clearly more interested now.

"Well, I obviously don't have the note here, it's in our room," I said slowly.

"Oh, hang on…"

Adrian screwed up his face in concentration, the room suddenly swirled and morphed into our bedroom, where we currently were sleeping. I scurried over to the side table, carefully lifting it up. I let it back down again, there was nothing there. Damn.

"Don't worry, I'll get it in the morning," I said, getting up off the floor.

I had to show him quickly, in time to get out of here.

"Hey, end the dream in a sec and I'll try and wake up, I have to show you, now."

He nodded sitting down on the bed.

Christian and Mia were leaving pretty early, so I had to either find a way to go with them, or get out another way. I just felt bad for what it would do to Adrian. But once again, I had to find Dimitri. Even though he said we couldn't be together, I had to try again. I would never give up. Adrian. I sighed. He would be so… I don't know, sad maybe, jealous even.

Just on a whim, I sat down on the bed next to him and hugged him. He just returned the hug silently, no weird cat noises or suggestive comments, just an exchanging of affection.

The next thing I said was kind of an accident. "I'm gonna get him out."

It took Adrian a while to realised, when he did he pushed me away and standing up. "What? You're gonna find Belikov?"

Oops. "Well, I have to," what a crappy answer.

He shook his head in disbelief. "It's so dangerous Rose, what a freaking stupid idea!"

Not answering, I stood up too.

"The whole Moroi world is on alert. Okay maybe not the whole world, but most of it. That's not the point through!" he was outraged, it was crazy, but as I said before, I had to. "You could get caught and all of our hard work would've been for nothing!"

"I can't be fucked doing this right now Adrian. Goodbye."

And for probably the first time ever, I managed to end one of Adrian's dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hi**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while…**

**Been busy… sort of…**

**Anyways, enjoy and please review!**

**Kateyxx**

I was awake now, with my eyes still closed. I waited until my senses were working properly. I could hear the soft sounds of Adrian's light snoring, I could feel him next to me, warm and safe. I was tempted to stay in bed, next to him, despite the little fight we'd had in one of his stupid dreams.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw the rafters on the roof, the light fitting on the fan. I pulled the covers back slowly and quietly, silently slipping out of bed. I sneaked up to the window and peered out of the curtains. The sun was just setting, good timing. The warmth of the setting sun spilled across my bare arms, it felt so nice, living by a nocturnal schedule sucked sometimes.

I sighed and closed the curtains, moving to the dresser where my little backpack lived. I unzipped it and took a look inside, making sure everything was there. Some clothes, the Queens secret note, a spare silver stake and some other stuff. Good, everything was in place. My stomach felt unsettled, a mixture of anxiety, guilt and worry. I got dressed, trying not to wake Adrian. I chose my clothes carefully, comfy black pants, a tank top and a dark hoodie, easy to move around in, and hopefully it would blend in with the dark that was our day, plus, it looked cool. I pulled my hair up into a sleek ponytail, making sure I had nothing to distract me on my mission.

I heard a rustling of sheets and Adrian mumbling intelligible things, something about his mum and a goat. Maybe the goat was his dad, as Nathan Ivashkov did sort of remind me of an angry goat.

Just as I opened the door, Adrian started to wake up. "Rose?" he mumbled.

Crap, I opened the door carefully, and slipped out. "Rose! Rose?" he called as I shut the door.

I sprinted down the stairs, trying to be as stealthy as possible. Christian and Mia were putting their bags in the car, the black SUV.

Adrian appeared at the top of the stairs, looking dishevelled just in his pyjama bottoms. "Rose? What the hell?"

I put a finger to my lips, signalling for him to be quite. He ignored that and hurried down the stairs. I took a few steps back shaking my head and holding up my hands.

"No way Adrian, get away," I whispered, hoping to god that he would go back to bed. Damn, I wished I could use compulsion.

"What are you doing, I told you, you can't just run off and find Dimitri, in the middle of the damned Court! _Everyone_, Rose, _everyone,_ is looking for you!" he exclaimed.

"You can't tell me what to do Adrian, you're not my mum," I knew I sounded about 5 years old, but I had to get away.

He shook his head, exasperatedly and took a step forward, "I'd never try and control you," he said quietly, running a hand through his messy hair. "I just don't want to lose you, again."

I could feel my control slipping away, I took a deep breath. "You didn't lose me, I was just in jail."

"Yeah, on death row!" Adrian argued.

I didn't answer, I just turned my back on him, I was getting pissed of now. I could hear him run up behind me, at the last minute, using my guardian reflexes, I spun around, at the same time grabbing both of his arms. I put my face close to his, trying to look intimidating, I think I did a pretty good job at that, judging by his expression.

"I don't have time for this shit. I'm sorry Adrian, but I have to do this. I love you, but I still care for him and I have a lot of crap to sort out before things can be sort of normal. I have to get him out and then I have to find Lissa's damn half- sister or brother or whatever, I have to leave!" I blurted out the last bit before actually realising what I said.

His green eyes widened in shock and surprise. Crap, I hadn't told him about the note from the Queen yet.

"What?" he asked, I think it was all he could say.

"Never mind," I let go of his arms, thank God Christian and Mia were still outside, or else I would definitely not be going.

"What did you say?" Adrian questioned, taking hold of my arm as I tried to walk away.

I turned back around to face him, already regretting what I was going to do. I pulled back my fist and punched him, right in the jaw. Not hard enough to hurt him too badly, just to knock him out. Adrian crumpled to the floor and I tried hard to cry out at the sight of him on the ground like that. I had to say, it was a good punch though. I knelt down beside him and pressed my fingers to his neck. A wave a relief washed over me, his pulse was steady, but he might wake up soon so I had to move.

I heard voices from outside, they had obviously heard our little tiff. I sprinted into the kitchen, jumping up onto the bench below the big window. I opened it as far as it would go and squeezed myself through, onto the little ledge outside. Thankfully, this was the bottom story, so I only had to jump about a meter to the ground. Once I hit the ground, I crouched down and silently made my way over to the SUV.

"Who did this?" I could hear Mia asked frantically.

I could see Christian kneeling down next to Adrian's crumpled form, with Mia standing over them with her hand pressed to her mouth. I silently opened the boot and climbed inside, I was feeling claustrophobic, so I left it open a little bit.

I could now just hear Lissa's concerned voice saying, "Maybe he fell down the stairs."

Know there was Eddie, "No, see there, there is a mark on his jaw, like someone hit him."

"Hey guys, where's Rose?"

Damn Christian, he gave me away. I decided that his visit to Court would be cancelled, postponed at the least. I kicked open the boot, leapt out and slammed it shut behind me. No one ever said Christian was smart, and he backed up this theory by first of all keeping the car unlocked and leaving the keys in the ignition. I felt so guilty yanking open the driver's side door and sliding into the seat, chucking my bag onto the passenger's seat. Just as I re-closed the door and was about the turn the key, the rest of them had rushed outside, yelling out for me to stop and come back.

I sighed and started the engine. _Come on Rose, suck it up, _he _needs you._ I floored it, heading speeding down the small, tree-lined driveway. _Rose! What the hell are you doing? _Lissa's frantic and pissed off voice came through our bond. _What did you do to Adrian?_ I just kept driving, trying hard not to pull over and burst into tears, not a thing I did often. I mean, come on, I just knocked out my boyfriend and left my best friend and four other Moroi with one guardian, a young guardian at that, with no wards or anything. On top of that, I had absolutely no clue about how I was gonna break Dimitri out, that's if he was even in jail, if not, well, I'll figure that out when it comes. The journey to court was about two hours, I figured that from the trip _from_ court to our little… getaway… in the wilderness.

Speeding down the highway and clutching my crazily sick stomach, I wondered if Dimitri would do the same for me, abandon his friends and endangering them, just for me. It saddened me to think that maybe he wouldn't, with the way he's been treating me lately. But I promised I wouldn't give up on him. I couldn't, he was basically a part of me, and that part of me had shattered when he told me his love had faded for me. I hurt just to remember that moment.

I nearly swerved off the road when the mobile started ringing. It was under my seat, it must have fallen down there in my car hijacking escapade. _Damn, if that's Christians, I'll seriously kill him next time we meet._ With a sinking feeling, I might not ever be able to see him again. Oh well, it's Lissa and the others I'd really miss…

Anyway, telling my brain to shut up its stupid babbling, I picked up the ringing mobile off the floor and flipped it open. It was Lissa, unsurprisingly and kind of creepy, she was under 'Lissa baby' in his contacts. Holding it up to my ear I spoke. "Tell Christian to take better care of his stuff, he left this in the car."

"Whatever Rose, are you- w-what the hell are you doing? I'm- what the - What the freakin hell is wrong with you?" she was so outraged she could hardly speak.

"I have to," I replied simply, I tried to hide the guilt and pain this caused me, I don't think it worked that well.

On the other end, I could hear her saying reassuring things to Mia and Adrian, he was obviously conscious again, man, that was one thing I'll never do again.

Lissa was calmer now. "It's Dimitri isn't it?"

"I have to," I repeated.

"That is so damn selfish Rose! We are unprotected, Eddie can't guarantee all of our safety, with no wards, who knows what the hell could happen. I can't believe you'd do this!" she yelled through the phone.

I was losing my temper now, I couldn't control it, mostly because spirits darkness and anger was slipping through our link. "Eddie can take care of you guys…" I offered, too pissed to say anything that could help.

"You're a guardian, _my guardian!_ I know you love him, but we need you! You could have asked for help, we all could have gone with you!"

That was it, I was tired of this shit now. "I don't give a flying fuck! All my life, it's been _'they come first!' _Well, screw that! I want to put myself first for once, well maybe twice, but that's beside the damn point! He means too much to me to let go! I don't care if he doesn't want me at the moment, I won't give up on him!"

"What about Adrian?" she asked.

"He can go fu- I don't know, I did- Well, I sort of love him, okay? But I need to sort out Dimitri before I can decide what I'm doing!" I tried to remember why I was in this conversation. Oops, I was on a mobile while I was driving, ah, to hell with that. I was seriously annoyed, why the bleeding hell were they calling me up like this?

"You're my guardian Rose!" Lissa repeated.

"I know that, I'm not fucking stupid!" I exploded, ready to throw the phone out the window. Not a bad idea actually, as it wasn't mine anyway.

"But I need you," she begged desperately.

My heart squeezed, I couldn't leave her, so vulnerable. But I had to! I would probably regret following through with my earlier thought with this next action. "Well, you know what Lissa? Go to hell! Okay? Just fuck off!"

And with that, I flung the phone out of the window, not turning around to see what happened to it. _Rose? Rose?_ Lissa spoke through the bonds, _again._ She just wouldn't shut up. I mustered all the rage and annoyance and the despair and used to try to block her off. Hey, it worked, cool.

I turned my focus to the road, and what was to come.

**AN: Hope you like it!**

**Kateyxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hi guys!**

**Here is more of my (hopefully) amazingly awesome story!**

**Btw, disclaimer: I don't own vampire academy or the characters, this is just my crazy, made up plot.**

**Hope you like it**

**Kateyxx**

It was hard to keep my eyes open, let alone focused on the road. They occasionally filled with tears when I thought about who and what I had left behind. I could be caught and arrested. That was a very likely possibility, but I tried to think positive. My plan was the most important thing now, screw everything else, I was on a crazy mission, and I am Rose Hathaway, and I'm so goddamned determined you wouldn't believe it.

I turned on the car radio, it was on an okay channel. I hummed along, trying not to dwell on the bad things that could happen. Knowing it was probably dangerous, I slipped into Lissa's mind, wanting to know what was going on.

Lissa and Christian sat on the fancy leather couch back at the cottage. She was clutching his arm, looking very worried. Adrian was on an armchair next to them, he had a glass of what looked like scotch in one hand, and an ice pack in the other, holding it to his face where I punched him. I couldn't help but wince mentally, seeing what I'd done.

Eddie was pacing up and down the rug, holding a mobile to his ear and Mia was sitting cross legged on the floor, eyes wide as she watched Eddie pace angrily. There was admiration, and maybe a little more in that gaze.

"She just ran off," he was saying.

I could hear someone on the other side, he was angry, probably my dad.

"I know, she KO'd Adrian and jumped out the window. When we all were fussing over Adrian, Rose managed to get away in the car, the only one we have."

There was more angry exclamations coming from the phone. Eddie brushed a hand over his eyes, sighing wearily.

"I know, I know, I should have kept an eye on her Abe, we were trying to figure out what had happened to Adrian. Rose just slipped away," Eddie said, obviously beating himself up on the inside.

Lissa turned to Christian on the couch. "How could she? I thought she was over him. Dimitri told me himself, he just didn't love Rose anymore."

"I know, but you know Rose, she's a bitch and she won't rest until she gets what she wants." Christian reassured her, although he looked seriously annoyed.

I had had enough by now, so I pulled out of her head, feeling a mixture of emotions. I was glad that I got away without many hitches, I was disappointed that everyone was so angry at me, but that was understandable. I sort of felt guilty as well, I had hurt my boyfriend, probably soon to be ex-boyfriend, and I had left a bunch of Moroi left with just one guardian and no wards. I banged my hands angrily on the steering wheel, making the car quiver a little.

After what seemed to be the longest two hours of my life, I finally saw the looming gates of the Moroi Court. Obviously, it would be seriously stupid to go through the front gates, I turned down the small dirt road heading off to the left. From looking extensively at the maps, I knew where exactly I had to stop and try and get over the wall. The holding cells, possibly where Dimitri was, were right by the wall, separated by a small alley. Looking between the road and the map, I decided this was a good place to stop.

Once I was out of the car, I stopped and unzipped my bag, tugging out the rope I had discovered at the little cottage, just in case. I coiled it up and slid it up my arm, the one without my backpack. I took a deep breath and braced myself.

The wall was an old stone wall, so there were plenty of hand and footholds. I scaled up the wall, my arms and legs burning from the effort. Once I was at the top, I tied one end of the rope to a stone jutting out at the top of the wall. Making sure it held, I dropped the rope down the other side, good, it was long enough. I crouched down as much as I could, and squinted at the night... or day time lights shining up from the buildings. I could see several guardians pacing the perimeter, looking bored and probably wishing they were somewhere else, preferably somewhere warm.

Tearing my gaze away from the mesmerizing sight, I dropped my bag down the wall and grabbed a hold of the rope and shimmied down the other side of the wall, like I was ab sailing down a mountain. My breath came out in a whoosh as I jumped down onto the hard ground. I creeped silently down the passage way with my backpack, turning round the corner, ducking down as I saw a sleepy looking guardian, through the blackness, walking away from the jail block.

I sidled along the wall, feeling like someone from one of those silly spy movies. The big door that lead into a reception- like room was open, and I could hear voices, like someone was at the door, chatting to a security dude.

"Alright then Jason, see you tomorrow," the woman said, it sounded forcefully cheerful.

I could hear a muffled good bye, and the woman shut the door as I pounced forward, ready to take her out, and ran smack into her, I gasped when I recognised the curly red hair and short stature of none other than Janine Hathaway, my own mother.

"Rose!" she exclaimed, her voice shrill with surprise.

"Mum?" I replied, echoing her disbelief.

She stepped back, shaking her head. "What the hell going on? Why are you here?"

"Huh, long story…" I muttered, thinking of escape plans.

Janine stepped closer to me this time, and raised her head to my ear. "I'm glad you're okay Rose, really, I am."

I didn't respond as she hugged me a bit awkwardly. "Mum, please, I need to find Dimitri, do you know where he is?"

There was a moment of silence, I could tell by her face that she was trying to figure out what I was doing, why, and if she should tell me or not. I raised both my eyebrows, mainly because I still couldn't do the cool one eyebrow thingy.

"Mr. Belikov is being kept in a cell… because when you escaped, he was the only one found nearest the point of which you broke out. He's probably going to be released maybe this afternoon, or tomorrow, I don't think he knew much about how you got out."

I nodded slowly, processing this all. "Could you get me in?" I asked hopefully.

"What? No, it could cause so much trouble Rose!" my mother replied angrily.

"Please," I pleaded, clutching at her hands.

"Where would I go? If they knew it was us, where would I go?" Her tone wasn't very happy, I had to tread carefully.

"Come with us," I suggested.

"And where are you going exactly then? And who is 'us?'" she tapped foot impatiently as she crossed her arms.

I hesitated. I suppose I was lucky that she didn't run off and tell her little guardian friends that I was here, really lucky. I still didn't know where to start looking for Lissa's mysterious sibling. So I answered truthfully.

"Away. Dimitri and I, if you move."

"Rose… I-If tell you where to go… and what to do, will you let me walk away and I-I promise… I really do, that I will not breathe a word of this to _anyone_," she said, showing possibly more emotion that I've ever seen on her face.

Nodding in agreement, I walked away from her when she moved aside.

"Rose, wait!"

I spun around, giving her a questioning look. I was trying to hide to my own emotions, trying to keep my face neutral.

"Good luck. And I really am glad you're okay," and with that, my mother walked away, leaving me feeling guilty and sad, also thankful for her not dobbing me in.

I watched her retreating figure, as my runaway emotions finally caught up with me. I had been trying to keep my feelings at bay all morning, but now I had to let them go. I slid down the wall, dropping my bag and collapsing in a heap on the cold, hard ground.

I sighed, tears rolling down my cheeks. I had left basically everything behind, my friends, my father, and their protection. They had worked so hard for me and I basically had thrown it back in their faces. Dimitri was my main objective now. That nasty little voice in the back of my head spoke up. What if he didn't want my help? What if life was good for him now?

He told me he didn't love me, and that we just had to stay friends… kind of.

I wished so much that I had my old life back, at the academy, with Lissa and Christian and all of the others. I missed the twice a day training with the gorgeous Dimitri, the days when that electricity used to crackle between us as we sparred. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself, like I was falling apart and I had to hold myself together.

The sound of more conversation trickled out from the building that I was sitting out the front of. I snapped my head up, something about that voice was so, so familiar. No, it couldn't be. I buried my face in my arms, trying not to think at all.

The door opened. "That's… okay. I assure you, that's all I know." Oh, that accent.

"Okay… well, that's settled then Belikov… I suppose," said a voice, another male.

"Hmph," was all he said, as he walked out, shutting the heavy wooden door behind him.

The footsteps stopped. I didn't want to look.

"Roza?"

That single word, my name, seemed to hang in the air between us, wrapping around me. I finally raised my tear stained face and nodded.

Before I knew it, I was yanked to my feet and pulled into a suffocatingly tight embrace. Dimitri's familiar scent washed over me and his body's warmth spread through my cold, aching body.

"I thought you were gone for good. Rose, Roza…" he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

I managed to wiggle away from him. "Dimitri, we have to leave," I said simply.

He looked puzzled. I twisted around to pick up my bag. I pulled out the Queens infamous note and held it out for Dimitri to read.

Still frowning, he read the note, his expression changing to one of shock as he discovered the Dragomir secret.

He looked up at me, his lean body tensed. He was wearing jeans, a sweater and his usual brown duster. _He _was allowed a change of clothes in jail, why wasn't I?

"Eric has an illegitimate child?" he asked after a while.

"Sure does," I replied.

"We need to find him, or her, the princess needs them," Dimitri declared, giving me back the letter.

"Yes, we need to find them, but I have no idea where to start," I told him quietly.

I could hear voices, _again_. This time they weren't from inside the building, they were from our surrounds. The Moroi world was waking up now, and we were in full view of whoever was up. The courtyard stretched out before, and soon people would be taking a lovely stroll. Only to be interrupted by the late Queen's 'murderer' and a really hot Russian guy.

"Come with me," I picked up my back pack and hurried towards the wall and my rope. Dimitri followed silently behind me.

We turned down the alleyway.

"You first," I waved my hand at the rope dangling down from the wall.

He shook his head. "Ladies first."

I shrugged and chucked my bag at him, which he caught neatly. I climbed back up the wall and sat down on top, waiting for Dimitri.

"Hurry up comrade!" I shouted over the wall, freaking myself out a bit by using his old nickname. All of a sudden, my bag came flying up the wall and I just caught it, nearly squealing in surprise.

Dimitri's head appeared, he was smiling, just a small one though, but God, was he gorgeous. He raised an eyebrow at my vacant expression and hauled himself over the top of the stone wall. I wiped any possible drool of my face and swivelled the rope over, facing the car which was thankfully still there.

I kind of ab sailed down again, landing with a thud.

"Dimitri," I said once we were both walking to the SUV, shoving my rape into the bag.

"Yes?"

"Uh… How do I say this?" I asked my self aloud. "How are we?"

He looked confused.

"Umm… What's happening between us, like, what- how…" I struggled.

He stopped and opened the passenger side door for me. "Rose, not this."

I sat down in my seat closing the door. Waiting until Dimitri was in as well, I tried again.

"Yes Dimitri, this!" I sighed as he started the car. "Are you still naively denying you love for me?" I struggled with this, so I tried to make a joke.

Judging by the look on his face, Dimitri didn't find it very funny. "Rose, you know, I can't love you…"

I leaned towards him as he flinched backwards. "Yes you can."

"No, I can't after what I did, it was like someone else had taken over my body, I did horrible things to you, things that I can't live with!"

"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "That was a different person, can't the old Dimitri love me back?"

He shook his head and faced the road, accelerating. "This is another new Dimitri, and he probably can't."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hello everyone**

**Another new chapter, so please read and review!**

**Thanks so much guys,**

**Kateyxx**

I was sort of getting used to his rejections now, but it was still a little painful, and really annoying. I knew Dimitri did love me, deep down… somewhere… maybe… hopefully…

"Bitch," I muttered under my breath, offended.

Dimitri just shook his head and muttered another damn Russian swear word. He never taught me any of those, maybe my vocabulary was already to, uh… expressive already as I've been told. Ah well, no harm in that.

Silence fell over us for a while, the only sound was the engine of the car and general sounds of driving. It got too awkward soon enough, so I turned the radio again. It was one of the stations that played all the latest hits, and of course, Dimitri wasn't really a fan of that. Almost immediately, his hand reached out to change the dial to some horrible ancient channel, probably country music, 80's stuff or maybe even chamber music. Just about anything I hate.

"Ugh, seriously," I grimaced as some horrible song about an octopuses garden or something was playing.

"Hey, don't diss the Beatles, they were a great band," said Dimitri, chuckling at my ignorance of old music.

"Change it to something normal, please," This music was seriously getting on my nerves and the lyrics were kinda weird. **AN: (Hey guys, I love the Beatles, so I'm not really bagging them. But seriously, they have some crazy songs sometimes)**

"Nope, no can do Rose, it stays like this or nothing at all," Dimitri gave a forced smile, still facing the road, like he was purposefully not looking at me.

He turned onto the main highway now. "All right then, nothing at all," I decided.

I leaned forward to turn off the radio, as did he. Our hands touched briefly and Dimitri jerked his back like he had been electrocuted. I pulled my hand away slowly, I could feel warmth spreading over my cheeks, just like my hand where we had touched.

He cleared his throat loudly. It was so tense in this car, you could cut the air with a knife. It never used to be so awkward and tense with Dimitri, putting aside our, uh, sexual tension. But now it had changed, there was still that electricity crackling in the air, but it was somehow different, if that makes sense.

"So, uh, where exactly are we going?" he asked in his low, beautiful voice.

"Um… To be honest, I have no clue," I admitted sheepishly, crossing my arms over my chest. "We, uh, kind of need my father for that sort information."

"Huh," he turned his gaze to me momentarily, but looked away quickly. His normal mask of composure slipped up, and before he turned his face away, I caught a glimpse of what he was feeling. He looked surprised, confused, maybe there was a look of deep longing there. I smiled to myself as I happily glowed, I still had it.

"Well, maybe you should call him then," Dimitri suggested shortly.

That might be a problem. He was probably seriously pissed off at me and I didn't have a phone. I unfolded my arms and drummed my fingers on the armrest on the door. There was no particular tune, but I really wanted to annoy someone.

"So…"

"What?" Dimitri spoke hesitantly.

"What did they quiz you on back at the old cells?" I asked casually.

He made an unintelligible noise. "Your escape mostly."

"Mostly?" I prompted eagerly.

He kept watching the road. "Well that and, well…"

"Well what?" I demanded.

"Your mother asked me a few things," I started. What was she asking about?

"Hmm… What exactly did she want to know?" I questioned him, wondering what she interrogated him about.

"About our, uh, former relationship… back at the academy. I think she was maybe just a bit curious. I know… it was a while ago, but I think… I think she didn't get the chance to found out about it before, you know, when I was… in Russia," Dimitri said this very carefully. I was a bit stunned to be honest, why the hell would she ask about us? Well, she was my mother, but honestly, it's a bit nosey.

"Huh… What exactly did she ask though?"

"Umm… Janine asked when it started… And when it ended-"

"What did you tell her?" I interrupted.

He frowned. "I told her the truth, she is your mother after all," he twisted his hands on the steering wheel of the car. "She… she asked when our, uh, relationship started and when it… ended."

Looking out at the night sky out the window, I knew I shouldn't have asked that next question. "When did you say it ended?" I asked quietly.

"I-I…Uh…" He stammered, clenching his fists tighter on the steering wheel. "I said that… I… Rose… don't, just don't start."

"When?" I pushed. "When did you say it all ended?"

It was usually him interrogating me, and I took some dark satisfaction in knowing that I had set him off balance. I turned my whole body to face him, badly wanting to know his next answer.

He was still silent. "Dimitri," I whined.

His knuckles were white on the steering wheel now, he was definitely fighting for control. "I… I said to her that as far as you were concerned, it-it hadn't… really ended yet. She agreed, after what happened with you coming to find me and all, Janine understood."

My chest felt like it was going to explode, I forgot everything that had happened with Adrian and everyone else. It was just Dimitri and I, like it used to be.

I tried to not yell in joy, I felt like I could fly away. I tried to control my expression and my voice. "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"I meant that you still had feelings for me, what else?" he said slowly, like I was stupid.

"God! I know what that meant! What about you?" I exploded and threw my hands up. He flinched, dude, he was seriously nervous. I was at my wits end, he had to tell me what happened soon or I really would explode.

Dimitri sighed and muttered something in Russian. "I walked right into that one didn't I."

I stared at him impatiently. He slowed the car down and pulled over on the side of the road.

Both of us took a long, deep breath. "Rose," he continued. "I told your mother that… I said to her that I still… had feelings for you, but I couldn't act on them, aft- after all that happened, I couldn't even bear to see you without feeling so damn guilty."

I shook my head. "Dimitri! Do. You. Not. Fucking. Get. It? That was the past, okay? Just put the past behind you and show me how you really feel! I let go of the past, why can't you?"

"Oh for god's sake Rose! Shut up! I still love you! Are you happy now?" he yelled, obliterating any amount of self-control he had left.

Ah hell, that was enough for me. In one swift motion, I undid my seat belt and hurled myself at him, well, as much as I could in the front seat of a car.

I wrapped my arms around him as best I could. I could feel him tense up, but then he melted again and almost reluctantly hugged me back.

"I am sort of happy you know," I told him, my voice muffled against his warm, seriously yummy stomach.

He stroked my hair. "I maybe could love you back Rose, but maybe just not yet, it'll take a while… One day…"

I could feel my eyes welling up, for the second time today, I wished for my old life back so much it hurt.

"It was so easy, and simple," I whispered to myself.

"What do you mean?" Dimitri must have heard me.

I sighed, pulling away from him. "Life."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"I miss everything!" It came flooding out. "Classes, my friends, my teachers, hell, I kinda miss Stan, maybe even Kirova! Just the Academy in general!"

"_Headmistress_ Kirova," Dimitri corrected absently, giving me a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry Rose, I miss it too."

I nodded in agreement. "I miss our practices especially," I looked down, expecting him to chastise me like he used to.

"So do I Roza, so do I," he whispered, to my surprise.

I turned and leaned across as Dimitri wrapped his arms around me again, this time he was sure of himself, this time there was love in his embrace. I raised my lips to his, starting off gentle. Dimitri returned the kiss, this surprised me even more. But then he obviously realised what he was doing, and pushed me away, almost rudely.

I frowned as he spoke. "Roza, please. Don't push me." He still used my old nickname though.

I nodded as he started the car again. We drove off onto the highway as the moon reached its highest point in the sky. I leaned my head against the cool window, feeling my eyes droop closed, I decided there was no point fighting it.

Before I was out, I whispered as best I could: "Hey comrade?"

"Mmhm?" was his answer.

"Are we good now?" I asked sleepily.

"Yes Roza, I suppose we're good…"

**AN: So did you like it?**

**I know its short but I had nothing to do so I decided to post it**

**Kateyxx**


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